Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum says John Morgan should put his money where his mouth is. Morgan recently called out Gillum for keeping some $3 million in his campaign account -- money Morgan says Gillum should use to pay the restitution fees for former felons to help them regain their right to vote.
The flare-up began with a tweet from Morgan:
Agree with that. It’s always right to do the right thing. These people paid the price with their freedom. That should‘ve been more than enough. @AndrewGillum has $3.5M that should all be used to pay restitution. And that is the best and sweetest voter registration plan of all! https://t.co/p5ev0DmTHk
— John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) May 9, 2019
“As I understand it from the Florida Rights Restoration Council, they’re still waiting on a contribution from him," Gillum said of Morgan, when asked about the Twitter spat.
"So I think the first place he ought to go if he’s genuine about this, is to make a contribution to Desmond Meade and Sheena Meade, and the work they’ve been knocking themselves out for years, that’s now been undermined by this piece of legislation.”
Desmond Meade helped lede the effort for 2018's Amendment Four, which gave felons who've completed their sentences and haven't been convicted of murder or sexual assault, the right to vote. The Florida legislature recently passed a bill requiring felons who owe restitution to pay it before registering to vote. Opponents argue that was not part of a constitutional amendment voters approved in November.
Gillum, who ran as the Democratic nominee for Governor, has created a campaign aimed at registering one million people to vote ahead of the 2020 election cycle.
